Tomato Apple Bacon Soup

I love soup. My favorite part about fall is that I can start eating more hot soup. Starting around the end of October, I usually make a big pot of soup on Sunday and use it for lunches or snacks (sometimes breakfast) throughout the week. I usually freeze a portion or two too.

I've been making Tomato Apple Bacon soup since I found the recipe online in about 2005. The recipe I originally used was from Allrecipes, although I modified it significantly really from the first time I made it. Originally I would make this soup using two cans of condensed tomato soup, two cans of beef broth, celery, bacon, and apples. Eventully I came around to a recipe which is more similar to the one that is posted on allrecipes, though mine is still a bit different.  I like navy beans, but you could substitute any bean or leave them out altogether if you want.

A note about salt: You'll notice that this recipe doesn't call for salt. I have always found that the stock and bacon make it plenty salty.  You can always add some if you want, but I would wait until the soup is almost finished before deciding. I also cook my beans with no salt, so using canned beans may cause the soup to increase in saltiness.

Tomato Apple Bacon Soup (Adapted from AllRecipes)

4 slices thick cut bacon

1 medium onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

32 oz Beef Broth (low sodium if possible)

1 1/2 cups cooked navy beans (or 1 can beans, drained)

bay leaf

1 tbsp italian seasoning blend: mine contains oregano, thyme, marjoram, basil, rosemary, and sage

ground black pepper to taste

1 apple, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup apple cider or red wine

grated parmigiano-reggiano to taste (I like about 2 Tbsp per  bowl)

thinly sliced unpeeled apples for garnish

Cut bacon into small pieces; saute in stock pot until crispy. Remove bacon with slotted spoon. If there's a lot of bacon grease you will want to drain some of that too. Leave about 2-3 tbsp of grease in the pan. Saute onion, garlic, and celery in bacon drippings until soft; about 3-5 minutes. Add tomatoes, stock, beans, bay leaf, and italian seasoning. Bring to a boil, then let simmer.

Cook apple and cider in small saucepan until apples are starting to soften. Add apple, cider, and bacon to the soup. Continue simmering for another 20-30 minutes. Season with pepper (and salt if necessary) to taste. Remove bay leaf. Garnish with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and apple slices. I serve this with biscuits and it makes a great meal.

Like (almost) all soups, this is better the second day.  If you want to freshen it up the next day you can add some fresh-cooked crumbled bacon. 

Memories

Last week, some friends and I drove to Palm Springs for a girls weekend. We stopped in Vegas for one night, went shopping on the strip the next morning, then finished the drive to Palm Springs. Marilyn Monroe was there to welcome us.

 Unfortunately, late that night one of my friends got food poisoning. She was sick (or tired and weak) for most of the trip, so we stayed pretty close to our hotel most of the time. My other friend and I walked around downtown Palm Springs and returned frequently to check on her. Palm Springs is a beautiful, fun place.

The day before we had to leave, we packed our still sick (but feeling much better) friend in the car and drove about an hour and 45 minutes to Niland and Salvation Mountain.  

Salvation Mountain is a huge sculpture created by Leonard Knight. He lived on the site from 1984 until late last year, when he had to move to a nursing home. He created the mountain from straw bales, adobe, and tens of thousands of gallons of paint. He's also painted several cars and trucks. I've wanted to see it since I first heard about it around 10 years ago, and it absolutely did not disappoint. It was a hot day, and since my friend was sick we only stayed about 45 minutes. But it was mind-blowing to spend time in a place where someone had dedicated such a huge portion of their lives working on one thing.  

We had lunch at the Buckshot Diner, and it was possibly the best meal of the trip. Great, great cheeseburgers. 

On the way back we stopped at the Salton Sea, the largest lake in California. It was a little smelly but incredibly beautiful. The history of the Sea is fascinating. We had the whole beach to ourselves, and I wish we had more time to explore the sea, but we had just stopped on a whim and were only able to stay about 20 minutes.